Dialogue on the protection of civilians with 10 senior Sunni Muslim leaders in Lebanon

At the end of March, Geneva Call had the opportunity to discuss issues related to the protection of civilians in armed conflict and situations of armed violence with 10 senior Sunni leaders in Lebanon, including the five Muftis and the Head of the Higher Islamic Shari’a Council. The event was organized at the invitation of the Swiss Ambassador to Lebanon, Ambassador Ruth Flint.

Since the end of the civil war in Lebanon in 1990, there has been frequent violence involving armed non-State actors in the country and the current Syrian conflict is increasing tension. With this meeting, Geneva Call was seeking support from religious authorities for its work in engaging armed non-State actors in the region on humanitarian norms.

Geneva Call’s local partner in Syria and Pascal Bongard, Head of Operations, presented Geneva Call’s campaign “Fighter not Killer”. This campaign explains to the parties to the conflict in Syria the obligations that all fighters have to protect civilians. Geneva Call also detailed the different programmes that are currently being implemented in Syria and Lebanon. The religious leaders welcomed Geneva Call’s initiatives and expressed their readiness to facilitate the organization’s humanitarian work in Lebanon.